Fracture apparatus



STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN \VHITTEN, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

FRACTURE APPARATUS.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 31,501, dated February 19, 1861.

To all whomjtt may concern.'

Be it known that I, JOHN VHITTEN, of Boston, in the county of Suffolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented a new and useful or Improved Splint or Apparatus for the Treatment of Fractures and the Reduction of Dislocations of the Human Leg; and I do hereby declare the same to be fully described in the following specification and illust ated in the accompanying' drawings, of which- Figure 1, is a top view; Fig. 2, a side elevation; Fig'. 3, a longitudinal section, and Fig. 4, av transverse section of it. Fig. 5, is an elevation of its upper end.

In such drawings, A, is the bottom board or platform, while B, and C, are what may be termed thigh and calf rests. One of them, viz. the thigh rest B, besides being hinged to the upper end of the part A, is also hinged, end to end, tothe calf rest O. Two racks D, E, are formed in or afiixed to recesses a, Z2, made in the upper surface of the board A. These racks respectively receive two struts F, G, which are hinged to and extend downward from the two rests, B, C. At or near the outer end of the calfrest, C, two posts c, LZ, extend upward from each rest and serve as guides to, and to hold in place, a slide, e, through which two screws, f, g, are screwed, they at their outer ends being so connected with a foot rest H, as to be capable of being' rotated independently of such foot rest. Furthermore, each of the rests is provided with two side boards, I, I, or K, K', each being so hinged or applied to its rest as to be capable of being turned down from a position at or nearly at a right angle thereto into oi nearly into another in which said side boa-rd would be in or about in the saine plane with its rest. The hinges of one of the side boards of the calf-rest are seen at 71 fr, in Figs. 1 and 2. A turn button, z', is applied to each of the rests, and near the middle of each of its side frames or boards. Vthen turned so as to lap on the board such turn button will operate to preserve the said board in an upright position. As the two sideA boards of the thigh restvary in their lengths (the shorter, when the apparatus is in use, being intended to be placed against the inner side of the thigh of the patient) each is connected with the thigh rest by means of .a long pin s, passed through two staples, 7c, lo, fixed in the said rest, such being as represented in Fig.

2, wherein the pin is exhibited by dotted lines. This enables each side board to be applied to either side of the thigh rest in order that the splint may be adapted to either leg of a person as circumstances may require. Furthermore, a thigh slide L, formed as shown in the drawings is applied to the upper end of the thigh rest. The shank piece, Z, of such part L, enters a corresponding recess, m, formed longitudinally in the thigh rest. A slotted plate, fu, is fastened to the slideL, and extends therefrom along oneredge` of the thigh rest, a clamp screw 0 being passed through the slot, j), of such plate and yscrewed into the said rest. This clamp serves to fasten the head r of the slide, L, at any desirable distance from the upper end of the thigh rest. Two holes, s, t, are made through the head, 11, one being near each of its two opposite outer corners. Between these two holes, two staples u, a, project downward from the lower side of the head and receive a tapering pin, w, which by being inserted through a loop, x, at one end of a long cushion, m, serves to connectthe 'cushion with the slide L. The upper end of the said -cushion has a strap, y, projecting from it, such strap being rarried through the opening of a forked standard, e, and thence down to and through a buckle, a, connected with the upper edge of the side board from which such standard projects as represented in Figs. 1 and 2. The said standard constitutes part of a metallic bar, a2, fastened to the upper edge of the side board, and made to eXtend rearn ward therefrom as shown at, b', in the said figures. The portion so projecting is provided with an orice, c, for the reception of a screw, CZ, which when the two rests, B, C, are in the same plane, passes through the said .orifice and screws into one of the side boards of the rest C, thus serving to confine together the two adjacent side boards of such rests B, C

A splint so constructed can be used to great advantage not only in the reduction of dislocationsy of the joints, but .in the treatment of fractures of the bones of the leg, as in consequence of the two racks and their struts as applied to the calf and thigh rests,

we have a means of elevating the calf rest entirely off the plat-form or board and arranging such rest horizontally, or at any desirable angle with the thigh rest when the latter is elevated into an angle with the platform. I also have a means of making eX- tension and counter extension of the leg Whether it may be either straight or bent, the cushion M, resting against the perineuln, While the foot of thepatient is strapped to the board H. The movable side boards, applied as described perform their function of supporting the leg and its bandages and` can be turned down to enable a surgeon to get ready access to such whenever the same may be required.

I do not claim the combination of thigh and calf rests With a board or platform, nor do I claim in connection therewith, anl apparatus so constructed and applied as to be capable only of producing extension of that part of the leg which is below the knee.

An improved splint as made not only with thigh and calf rests, B, C, hinged together, but With a foot piece, H, and straining screws and an adjustable thigh slide L, and crotch cushion M, applied to the two rests substantially in manner and so as to be capable of operating as described.

JOHN WHITTEN.

fitnesses R. H. EDDY, F. P. HALE, .I r. 

